Emily Arnold McCullyRecensioni

One day, a mysterious stranger arrives at a boardinghouse of the widow Gateau--a sad-faced stranger, who keeps to himself. When the widow's daughter, Mirette, discovers him crossing the courtyard on air, she begs him to teach her how he does it.

But Mirette doesn't know that the stranger was once the Great Bellini--master wire-walker. Or that Bellini has been stopped by a terrible fear. And it is she who must teach him courage once again.

Emily Arnold McCully's sweeping watercolor paintings carry the reader over the rooftops of nineteenth-century Paris and into an elegant, beautiful world of acrobats, jugglers, mimes, actors, and one gallant, resourceful little girl.

Details the life of the Herschel siblings, William and Caroline, and their extraordinary work towards furthering astronomical science. Caroline was an unusual woman and her tenacious struggle towards success and notoriety in astronomy is worth reading. Back matter includes notes on the Herschels, a glossary, and a timeline.

A beautifully illustrated children's book about a slave of Martha Washington who escaped to freedom not because of abuse but because of her commitment to the right of humans to be allowed to decide their own life's destiny. It shows Martha Washington in a decidedly poor light, in every picture she has a grumpy face and the book states the fact that the Washingtons kept their slaves moving between their homes so as to avoid letting any of them go free from local laws. I like that the author brings up the reality of slavery that was not physically abusive, but was morally wrong nonetheless. The story was well written and interesting.

A little bit history of factory workers, a little bit women's history, and a little bit teaching how patents work, I liked this story of determination and creativity.

In France, a mysterious stranger arrives at the boardinghouse of a widow. Soon, her daughter watches the stranger walk across high wires. She wants to learn how to do this amazing feat. This man consistently walks on high wires. Mirette wants very much to learn from the boarder. Soon she discovers his name is Bellini, a retired high-wire walker, looking for a rest.

In fact, he walked across Niagara Falls on a thousand-foot wire in ten minutes. In addition, he crossed the Alps with baskets tied to his feet. He has a history of daring feats, and Mirette wants to learn more about him.

Horn Book Guide: "McCully's profile of astronomer Caroline Herschel reveals her complicated yet productive life as her brother William's co-researcher and housekeeper. McCully carefully details all of Caroline's contributions to the creation of "their" telescopes as well as her astronomical discoveries. Caroline's own work was eventually recognized and awarded. Passages taken from Herschel's diaries document her "prickly personality," as do the delicate, spiky pen-and-ink illustrations."

See also: What Miss Mitchell Saw

Ada Lovelace seems to be experiencing something of a resurgence of popularity the last few years, and her story is a fascinating one. This biography, classified as children's non-fiction, does an excellent job of setting out the facts of her life and explaining what made her unique and why she is relevant today. The narrative of her life is fairly comprehensive but simply explained, covering even the scandals and the controversy of her family life but in a way that's age-appropriate.

As a children's book (or maybe more like a young teenager's book?) I think it would be most successful with kids who already have a fairly robust interest in math and/or computers. It's not overly complicated, but it does get into some specifics about Charles Babbage's difference engine and analytical engine, and Ada's calculations, which amount to the first computer program on record 100 years before computers. The book definitely doesn't dumb anything down, especially in the Appendix. It would be a fantastic read for girls interested in the STEM fields. With the early training that's available these days for kids to learn how to code, this book is perfectly timed for the young generation.

Thanks to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for access to this advance copy of the book.

Mirette chases after her aspirations to walk on the high-wire despite being a young child and is taught by a famed high-wire walker named Bellini. This story can be used for grades kinder- 3rd grade to discuss perseverance and to chase your dreams. The illustrations are also breathtaking and can be used to study art form that time period, impressionism, and the use of motion and color within art.

Mary Wilkins Ellis loved flying from childhood onward, and got her pilot's license before WWII; during the war, she served in the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA). "She had always known she was born to fly. She was also born to help change history." After the war she was an RAF flight instructor, then managed an air taxi company.

Back matter includes an author's note, a photo of Mary, source notes, and additional sources.

See also: The Woman Who Could Fix Anything; Jack Knight's Brave Flight; Violet the Pilot

Ann and Bess are playing school but they won’t allow Min to join the game, saying she is too young and drawing a line around their play area that she must not cross. But clever Min finds a way to have her own fun – and ultimately join Ann and Bess without crossing the line. Read the book to find out how she manages this feat!

I absolutely loved the STEM problem-solving skills found in this book. Younger siblings everywhere – and frankly all kids at one point or another – can identify with being left out of a particular activity or game. Instead of getting upset, Min shows how you can turn the tables and take charge of a bad situation, turning it to everyone’s advantage instead.

This book manages to tell an absolutely compelling story with a limited vocabulary and only a few short sentences per page. This makes this book ideal for beginning readers working on reading alone or with a bit of help.

I loved loved loved this book as a child...though oddly it never made me want to try to walk on a wire! I guess I always was drawn to stories of children whose questions and hopes are taken seriously by adults. The gorgeous, impressionist-influenced paintings of turn of the century entertainers certainly helped keep me captivated.

A young African American boy who idolizes his grandfather walks with him from their farm to town so he can vote for the very first time in his life. Proudly the boy takes a photo of his granddaddy holding his ballot. When granddaddy can't read a very difficult text, he is told that he cannot vote. Fast forward to the little boy now a grown man and old enough to vote for the first time in 1976. He takes the photo of his granddaddy with him to the polls.

Excellent biography and resource on Ida M. Tarbell.

Grandmas help kids win a baseball game.

This biography of the first professional woman scientist, Caroline Herschel, includes excerpts from her autobiography woven into the text showing her childhood challenges and giving a glimpse of her personality. Includes Note, Bibliography, Glossary, Timeline.

In the early 1900s, Lizzie Murphy played baseball at a time when most girls didn’t. She eventually landed a spot on a professional team and fought to earn the same wage as the male players. Author’s Note, Sources.

This comprehensive and informational biography details how one woman used talent and determination to take civic action against big business. Ida Tarbell’s investigative journalism was pivotal to changing bad business practices during a complex time in American history. Author’s Note, Source Notes, Bibliography.

Super sweet farm story about four hungry kittens... get it? haha. Great story from an animal's point of view in finding food and coming in contact with a predator. Great story overall

This is a great book for the intermediate level. It is about Pete and he forgot to give a note to one of his friends about a party. Eventually he gives them a note and they all make it to the party.

Easy to read picture book for children. Detailed artwork that shows a story without words for any age to read.

Summary: A biography for young adults highlighting Tarbell’s journalistic career including her series of articles and books taking on Standard Oil, her relationship with Sam McClure, her views on women’s suffrage, and her lifelong labor to support her family.

Probably no one was better fitted to take on Standard Oil, the empire Rockefeller built. She grew up near or in Titusville, where the oil boom began. Her father’s and brother were in the oil business, and directly affected by Rockefeller’s monopolistic practices. At an early age, she determined not to marry, believing wedlock was bondage. But she had not thought of becoming a journalist. She loved science. She pursued her ambitions at nearby Allegheny College, being given the run of Professor Jeremiah Tingley’s laboratory. At that time though, the only careers open for women were teaching and missionary work. Having her doubts about God, she chose teaching and accepted an offer to teach at Poland Union Seminary in Poland, Ohio. Teaching only lasted two years until she returned home to Titusville, set up her microscope in the tower room, and tried to figure out what to do with her life.

A visit by Reverend Theodore Flood led to a chance to work on science articles for women in The Chatauquan. She quickly mastered every aspect of the business, making herself indispensable. She became interested in the fate of laboring people and the growth of trusts. Her capacity to quickly master a subject, and write with clarity led to an endless stream of writing assignments until she felt she was no longer developing. She decided to risk all, move to Paris, research Madame Roland, and try to support herself with articles from Paris. She sold a short story and some articles, one of which was on the paving of Paris streets, and lived a more or less hand to mouth existence. Then Sam McClure came along and changed her life forever. He’d read Ida’s article on paving streets, and told his partner, John Phillips, “This girl can write.” First she freelanced and eventually joined the staff of the fledgling McClure’s which became the home of a brand of investigative journalism dubbed by its enemies, “muckraking.”

Emily Arnold McCully chronicles her rise at McClure’s. Much was due to her own writing talent. But there was a synergy between that talent, including her dogged research skills, and McClure’s dynamic (and sometimes erratic) character. McClure inspired pathbreaking journalism, while lacking real business sense. She wrote articles on Lincoln and on Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. McCully’s narrative describes the talented group around her and both the stress and fun of putting out the magazine. Perhaps at the publication’s peak, Tarbell was assigned the task to research and write on Standard Oil and John D. Rockefeller, the work for which she was most famous and would eventually be published as a book, leading to the breakup of Rockefeller’s monopolies.

By 1906, the magazine began to unravel as McClure struggled with debt. While Tarbell easily found work throughout the remainder of her life, it was never quite the same and her writing never after achieved the same greatness. Her continuing challenge from then on was her family, supporting her mother and brother. McCully also explores what many consider the black mark on her career, her resistance to women’s suffrage and legal equality of women with men. Her views were complicated because she supported opportunities for women in education and work and championed the cause of women had no choice but to work, often in harsh conditions. But she didn’t think women needed laws to be equal, and worried about the effect politics would have on women.

Ida M. Tarbell lived until 1944. She wrote several more business biographies and a book on life after eighty, even as she struggled with the onset of Parkinson’s disease. McCully gives us a highly readable account of this life in full, written for a young adult audience. The book includes a number of photos of Ida and the people and places with which she was associated. While not a feminist, she demonstrated the possibility that a woman could equal men by the sheer excellence of her work. She was striking in not trying to have it all. Perhaps the closest thing to a partner for her was Sam McClure. He pushed her, even as she helped hold McClure’s together. McCully gives a well-nuanced account of this brilliant and complicated woman.

In this book there are four hungry kittens that are trying to find food. They find a dog who helps them out and gives them food. This book is for ages 6-9.